Jennifer Ohman-Rodriguez's Blog, page 3

Proclaiming Who We Want To Be

The congregation I serve, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Rock Island, Illinois, begins almost every worship gathering with some words. Part wording from Reconciling Works of which we are a Reconciled in Christ (RIC) congregation. Part stand against centuries of racism. Part land acknowledgement. These words continue to evolve over time with additions and refinements as we grow in awareness and understanding.

We call these words our centering statement. They differ from the beliefs we chan...

Anxiety Answers

Heat swells, radiating out, I flush, Not in a flash, (I am past that) But in a spike without illness. Sudden warmth startles me, Colliding with night’s coolness,Before slithering away, Never intending to stay.Twice, this occurs, First when I ask my mind, “Do I suffer from anxiety?” Second, when I ask my heart the same question. Relieved, (somewhat)When asked,My gut has nothing to say. The body practice described above is based on the work of Suzanne Rivers. I learned ...

Holding Heart: A Self-Care Minute

Cup your hand. Place a small photo of you at any age in your hand. Place your other hand over the photo. Close your eyes. Begin breathing.

With each breath send love to the you in the photo. Love for the child you, the young adult you, the mature you. Fill your cupped hands with love’s breath.

Now bring your cupped hands as close to your heart as you can.

Imagine sending the photo of you into your heart. Allow this image of you to rest there, held by your heart.

Breathe. And ...

Breathing Bones: A Self-Care Minute

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Take a moment to notice where your body is in your space, in your environment.

Notice your feet against the sole...

Continuing Call

In seminary, we were asked again and again to tell our call stories as if the retelling would prove our worthiness. Here’s something I wrote in 2017.

My “yes” to ministry constitutes, in traditional ways of thinking, my fourth career. I have been a singing actress, an early childhood teacher, program director, and consultant, and most recently a professional writer. My path or trajectory into “yes” began with a divine encounter experienced while listening to Pachelbel’s Canon in G Major ...

The List of Names Continues

Eight years ago today, my first husband and father of my sons died in the Wisconsin River. He was not the first person to die in this river. No, Tony was just one of a growing list of preventable deaths. Preventable by proper signage. Preventable by beach closings. Preventable if the state of Wisconsin allowed victims’ families to sue and thereby effect change. But our voices are capped, squashed. And change? Well, people keep dying.

Today I list those people who have died in the year si...

Night’s Bitterness

How like a widow she has become…she weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks. Lamentations 1:1-2

Reflection

Limbs fall limp. Eyes drop focus. Mind escapes into sleep. Allowing a few moments of respite.

Until roused by repeated visions and racing words. Breaking in with images and their clinging emotions. Bringing tears, sighs, tossings, and turnings.

Yet some nights the moon rises high mid-mind race. Light filters through closed window shades. Asking for breathing i...

A Self-Care Minute

Before, during, and after we care for others in the aftermath and afterlife of traumatic experiences we care for self. Self-care is foundational in the care of others. When we do not care for ourselves, we inflict violence upon ourselves. And we risk causing others additional harm. Here’s a small moment of self-care, a micro minute surrounding your soul with goodness and love to use at any time in your day.

Begin breathing in through the top of your head. Thank God for your head.

Now ...

Soul Mosaic

The following words are from my talk at this year’s Quad Cities Pride Fest, June 3, 2023

It is my humble delight to by this year’s spiritual speaker. Or as like I say, “soul speaker.” Because that’s what people like me do, we care for souls—both our own and others. We care for souls not by saving souls from whatever sin is! But we care for souls with openness, love, and compassion.

So let’s take a moment to care for our souls. Take a moment to feel the difference in temperature betwee...

NEWSLETTER, MAY/JUNE 2023

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